Electro-mechanical switches are used to control electrical devices located throughout a vehicle. For instance, switches of this type are often used to control windshield wipers, cruise control units, turn signals, horns, etc., and can be mounted in a variety of vehicle interior locations, including on the steering wheel.
Traditionally, several methods have been used to couple an electro-mechanical switch, such as a steering column mounted switch, to an electrical device. According to one method, an electro-mechanical switch directly provides power from a switch output to an input of the electrical device. That is, power is supplied to the electro-mechanical switch such that when engaged, the switch provides power directly to the electrical device. This type of switch arrangement may be susceptible to certain drawbacks, such as larger-gauged wiring harnesses, increased power losses, high energy power distribution through certain components, and lack of flexibility regarding design changes.
According to another method for coupling electro-mechanical switches to electrical devices, the switches have electrical outputs customized to match electrical inputs of a switch module, which acts as an intermediary between the switch and the electrical device. This type of arrangement suffices for certain vehicle electrical systems, however, the more options and permutations available the more complex it becomes. For instance, consider the situation where a base-level switch having a first functionality and an up-level switch having a second functionality are both available. According to this method, the manufacturer would have to provide two separate switches, one for each level, two separate switch modules, one for each switch, and two separate wiring harnesses for connecting the switch and switch module pair. This type of arrangement can increase the cost of manufacturing, as more types of specially designed components are required, as well as complicate the logistics of determining which switch and wire harness is to be used with which switch module.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a switch system having an electro-mechanical switch and a switch module, where a single switch module of a standard design is capable of automatically configuring and operating with a variety of electro-mechanical switches.